Over 2 million foreigners working in Iran: Labor Minister

More than two million foreign national are currently working in Iran, Iranian Labor and Social Welfare Minister Ali Rabiei said on Monday. The foreign workers in Iran are just busy with uncomplicated and unprofessional jobs, while unemployment crisis in Iran is related to university graduates, the Mehr News Agency quoted Rabiei as saying.

Unemployment

The minister has said that the foreign workers have even occupied many jobs in villages, as Iranian workers are disinclined to do low-paid jobs.

Afghan, Iraqi, and Pakistani nationals constitute the highest numbers of foreign workers in Iran, according to Mehr.

Most of the foreign workers are residing in Tehran, Khorasan Razavi, and Isfahan provinces.

Some 300,000 foreign workers have entered Iran since the Iranian calendar year 1390 (March 2011-March 2012).

Iran must create 8.5 million new jobs in the next two years, Iranian Finance and Economic Affairs Minister Ali Tayyebnia said on November 19.

In August, the deputy labor minister said plans are underway to reduce the unemployment rate in Iran to seven percent by 2015.

Mohammad-Hossein Forouzan-Mehr added that according to the plans, the unemployment rate will fall by one percent each year during 2013-2015.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has promised reforms that would help in boosting production as part of efforts to kick-start the country's sanction-hit economy, according to an article published in September by the Financial Times.

Since he took office in August, Rouhani has made improving the country's economy a priority.